Organic catalyst breakthrough boosts PET plastic recycling efficiency by 90%
New organic catalyst breaks down PET at 50°C, 10x faster than current methods.
Deep Dive
A breakthrough organic catalyst enables more effective PET plastic recycling.
Key Points
- University of Illinois researchers created an organic catalyst that breaks down PET at 50°C and atmospheric pressure.
- Achieves 90% monomer yield in 2 hours – 10x faster than current chemical recycling.
- Catalyst is reusable up to 5 times, works on mixed-color and contaminated PET waste.
Why It Matters
Makes PET recycling economically viable, reducing plastic waste and enabling true circularity for bottles and textiles.